Collective punishment was a method adopted by the colonizers and the invaders of the old world, and the purpose was to teach the colonized and the invaded a lesson – to be obedient!

In Balochistan, collective punishment by the Pakistani occupation forces has taken a new meaning; not only the house of the dissident is demolished and the village raised to the ground but his male relatives could also be hunted down and killed.

The Kohdahi family of Pidark, Makran and Qalandarani family of Tootak, Khuzdar are just examples from a long list of Baloch families who suffered from the so-called law of colonial rule called collective punishment by Pakistan.

Belonging to Kohdahi family, Shujahat Allah Baloch was abducted from his farm at Darmakol, Pidark on January 31, 2015 by the Pakistani state-patronized death squad. This particular death squad is headed by Sardar Abdul Aziz Bizenjo and operated by his son Mufti Shahmeer Aziz.

National Party (NP) President Hasil Khan Bizenjo with Sardar Abdul Aziz Bizenjo

Sardar Abdul Aziz Bizenjo is a card holding member of the National Party (NP) that was in power in Balochistan. NP’s Secretary General, Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch who also was the Chief Minister, Balochistan (7 June 2013 – 23 December 2015) in his interview published in Herald (Dec 2017), said, “I was the first Chief Minister Balochistan to address the existence of death squads.” His statement verifies that Pakistan is using death squads as a tool to solve the political issue of Balochistan and Sardar Abdul Aziz Bizenjo being a member of NP is a proof that they are part and parcel of the system.

Shujahat Allah Baloch was born on 2 February 1992 to Naimat Allah Baloch. He was born and raised in Pidark a small town, 40 Km from Turbat city. After completing matriculation he joined his father in farming their land. Shujahat Allah’s uncle Kamal Kohdahi is a renowned Balochi poet and a staunch supporter of an independent Balochistan. Kamal Kohdahi was the elder of Kohdahi family.

To weaken the Baloch independence struggle in Makran, Kohdahi family was attacked on 22 March 2014 in Pidark by the joint forces of Pakistani army and the death squad of Sardar Aziz Bizenjo in which Kamal Kohdahi with his four relatives; brother-in-law Murad Hasil, two nephews – Islam Baloch and Ikram Baloch, and a close relative Sameer Baloch were extra judicially murdered. Since 2015 more than 25 male members of Kohdahi family have been killed by the Pakistan state and its death squad.

Shujahat Allah Baloch was killed on the same day that he was abducted; his mutilated body was dumped at Githan-e-dann on the main road from Pidark to Turbat. Every part of his body witnessed the savage and brutal mentality of Sardar Abdul Aziz Bizenjo and the hatred of the Pakistani state towards Baloch. All of his teeth were broken, facial skeleton was completely crushed; all of his body bore scars and bruises of torture. On his forehead from ear to ear were many small cuts made by a sharp object. Bones of his arms and legs were broken in many places. His neck had a deep wound made by a sharp object. After torturing him in the most inhumane way, they executed him mafia style with three bullets.

The political space for Baloch activists have shrunk to zero in Balochistan. The savage repression by the Pakistani state has torn down the fabric of Baloch society. Intolerance in the society has crippled our political unity. The barrel of the freedom fighter’s guns should not be guided by revenge but led by the political philosophy of Baloch nationalism towards the independence of Balochistan. The best way to defeat the dark forces is to isolate them politically and win back every inch of Baloch land from their occupation and savagery.